U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier, who serves the Coastside, was named a
senior whip last week by House Democratic leadership. The whip team
meets regularly to develop legislation and amendments on behalf of
the Democratic Party.

It's the whip's job to build strong support within the caucus for
the party's agenda, especially on key votes.

"Being part of the whip team will allow me to play a leading role
in the upcoming debates on issues important to the people I
represent," Speier said in a prepared release.

Speier will continue serving as a regional whip, a position she was
elected to at the beginning of the 112th Congress. She represents
Region 2 which includes districts 1 through 22 in Northern
California and districts in Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, and American
Samoa

Speier calls for crackdown

on speculators

On Thursday, Speier called for a crackdown on Wall Street
speculators during a Congressional Populist Caucus press conference
on rising gas prices.

Gas prices have been rising over the last two and a half years,
reaching their national peak about three weeks ago. In a prepared
release, the congresswoman says the increases have been a drain on
Americans already struggling with high unemployment and a slow
economic recovery.

"My constituents are paying upwards of $50 to $80 every time they
fill up their tank," Speier said. "Supply is up, demand is down,
yet gas prices continue to rise, a clear sign of speculation. We
need to provide meaningful relief today."

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act gave
the Commodity Futures Trade Commission additional authority to
crack down on oil speculation. Last week, the CFTC filed a civil
suit against a number of speculators for committing fraud in the
oil futures market in 2008.

Speier wants to provide the CFTC with additional resources so it
can continue to prosecute bad actors. Recently, Speier wrote a
letter, signed by 54 of her colleagues, urging the Department of
Justice and the CFTC to fully investigate speculation activities
and set specific limits on speculation in the energy market.

"It is time to end the speculation free-for-all on Wall Street and
start a real effort to help Americans at the pump," Speier said in
the release.